One Year From Today
by Tadpole24
Summary: Her hair is different, she looks thinner and her skin has taken on a slight tan, but when her eyes meet his across the reflecting pool, he knows that there was always something that wouldn't change between them. BB Post Season 5 Finale


**OK, so I know I'm not the only one, but I think I'm in the minority of liking this finale. I'd really love to hear other people's thoughts on it. :)**

**This is just a little one shot based on the finale and the words which passed between our two favourite characters. I know I'm a little late to the party; I was busy all weekend which takes the shine off of my fanfic writing. Lol. **

**I hope you enjoy this one.**

**Disclaimer: I don't have the guts to do what Hart Hanson did; we all know I don't own Bones. **

..:::..

One Year from Today

..:::..

A year. Three hundred and sixty five days. One revolution of the Earth around the Sun.

A lot can happen in those days, and a lot has happened. But for Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan those things are jam packed into snapshots. They don't wholly take these two people's focus, they can't.

Because no matter how long a time a year is, nothing will erase their final moments together.

He thinks about her constantly. He tells himself it's not healthy and that he should be using this time to move on.

He tells himself in vain.

He thinks about her in the morning and in the night. Through the drills he runs with his soldiers, he thinks about her. It's always Bones.

Three months in a woman asks if he would like to date her, in the middle of a war zone they don't have many options for impressive first dates, but she suggests a game of poker after the day is done.

He smiles, and puts his hand in his pocket where he feels the smooth edge of a poker chip he brought with him all the way from home. He blinks once, running his finger along the cool plastic, and contemplates what home means.

"I can't. I have someone waiting."

The woman nods and he smiles a sorry smile through his lie.

He knows his sin, but he figures all is fair in love and war.

There is one type of love that lasts a lifetime, and he has it bad.

She digs, identifies and writes. She does it with Daisy's incessant jabbering in her ear all day and most of the night too. She doesn't ask her to stop, she doesn't see the point. The sound of her over excited associate drowns out other thoughts. Thoughts about home and what it means.

At night though, when the rest of the team sleeps, when Daisy's voice has ceased, her mind is her own and she lets it float back to that day. To the day when neither of them ran away, but they mutually separated.

She hasn't slept a solid night in 364 days.

..:::..

There are people everywhere when he arrives, but he sees her without missing a beat. Her hair is different, she looks thinner and her skin has taken on a slight tan, but when her eyes meet his across the reflecting pool, he knows that there was always something that wouldn't change between them.

She's already holding his coffee in her hands and he knows that the coffee will be the best coffee he's tasted in a year, but he knows that there is something else he is eager to taste more.

They walk together, as always meeting in the middle. There are hundreds of thoughts racing through each of their heads but yet the first thing out of her mouth is, "Sweets and Daisy's wedding is back on."

He grins at her pure cluelessness and pulls her in for a hug, he hears the two coffee cups fall to the ground as she hugs him just as vigorously, "Same old Bones."

She pulls back to look at him quizzically, "We've been apart for a year, Booth. Objectively I would say that I'm not old after that amount of time. Older, sure, but in the greater scheme of things and as life expectancy is -"

His lips on hers abruptly quieten her, it is only a second before he pulls away and he is happy to note that her face follows his, as though expecting more, "I missed you."

She looks at him, shocked, but in a good way, "I missed you too."

He takes her hand in his, "I love you."

Her eyes flick to his, and know that he's not going to run, he came back to her again and again, his evidence is in their bond and she can see it now, one year later, "I love you too."

He smiles, moving them back towards the coffee cart to replace their dropped cups from before.

There are no qualifiers, no excuses and no regrets. What is said is said and what is done is done.

They can only move forward from here.

..:::..

**Let me know how you went :)**

**Em**

**x**


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